Why You Must Never Believe What You Think

You believe many things for different reasons. It could be that you’ve heard something many times. Another reason could be that you heard from someone you respect and trust. Your own thoughts are also a source of your beliefs. Having said that, here’s why you must never believe what you think:

Gaps

You have blind spots. It doesn’t matter how lucid you perceive your thought process to be. Absolute objectivity is a myth; it isn’t absolute. With every decision, you make assumptions. Your blind spots are gaps in knowledge.

You are bound to miss something at some point. You cannot consider yourself thorough if you are the only source. You’re not as great as you think you are. Also, at those times you think you suck, you’re not that bad.

Address the gaps by considering information from other sources. Research and engage with others from different disciplines.

Fallible

The truth is, you’re fallible. I’m not advocating you start doubting your ability to lead, create or do whatever you do. I’m saying you shouldn’t take everything you think as absolute.

No matter how well you think you’ve thought, there’s always a chance you could get it wrong. You’re going to get things wrong at some point. This shouldn’t discourage you from applying yourself. It is just another reason why you must never believe what you think.

You have more potential to deceive yourself than anyone else could [Click to Tweet]

Again, make sure you’re not the only source of information.

Outro

This is not an attack on self-confidence as a leader, creator, manager, parent etc. An attack on your ego perhaps. Neither is it an attack on your bias towards action. It is to encourage you to think and act with more openness.

Are you listening or have you listened enough? Did you or are looking for other sources of information to challenge what you think? Are you always right? You do know you could never be right every single time, right?